The secret to cooking a delicious, hassle-free Christmas turkey? You just need a little help – The Irish Times

We’re going to let you in on a little secret… Christmas cooking doesn’t have to be so difficult; at least, not when you’ve got a few tricks up your sleeve and Marks & Spencer is giving you a helping hand. Over the years, the retailer has worked hard to perfect its Christmas offering so you can spend less time working in the kitchen and more time relaxing with family and friends.

Marks and Spencer sources only high quality Irish turkeys; he seeks a particular mark of quality – exceptional flavor – which his birds, raised in Co Monaghan, possess in abundance.

“The way the birds are raised, their environment – ​​all of this affects how they taste,” says Matt Dawson, lead product developer for meat and poultry at M&S. “Sourcing is important to us for many reasons, but also because it adds to the flavor and texture you’ll get. »

M&S Irish turkeys are prepared in a variety of ways, including deboned and rolled for those who don’t want waste, turkey crowns or whole turkeys, with delicious stuffing options, all succulent and ready to go in the oven. So forget about the hassle, tedious preparation and long cooking times that can stress out even confident cooks.

A big fan of Christmas cooking, Dawson has loved working on the M&S range this year – and believes he’s found the ultimate solution for the ‘struggling juggler’ with his new best slow roast turkey. It is, he promises, your key to cooking the tastiest turkey with a minimum of hassle.

“Perfecting an easy and delicious turkey option like this is a passion of mine, which is why the range of slow cookers is wider than ever this year,” he says. “We’ve worked hard on this range so you don’t have to.”

To reduce cooking time at home, Dawson and M&S’s in-house kitchen team have developed a pre-cooking method which allows you to simply put your turkey from the slow cooker into the oven for a short time to finish it.

“We have developed a method which consists of precooking turkeys using the sous vide technique. This creates the most succulent and tender texture, so you only need to pop them in the oven for a little over an hour.

The turkeys, of varying sizes, are brined in buttermilk for added tenderness and sweetness. There are lots of choices, with different stuffings, from bacon-topped bone-in crown with pork stuffing, chestnuts, bacon and thyme to pork and cranberry stuffing wrapped in dry-cured bacon. The M&S kitchen team is “incredibly excited” about the new range. “I can’t wait for customers to try it – they’re absolutely divine,” says Dawson.

They’re a game-changer when it comes to traditional spreads, he assures us: “Even the most confident cook can get flustered by so much going on, so we wanted to take some of the guesswork out of it and create a delicious product that makes save time. and stress, but still gives the quality and finesse you are looking for.

To ensure you get the most out of your bird, it’s recommended to remove it from the fridge an hour before cooking – and remember to let the cooked meat rest before carving, to capture more juices and flavors.

Of course, Christmas dinner isn’t just about turkey; no festive celebration would be complete without the sides. Braised cabbage is a great option, almost as popular as Brussels sprouts. This year, you can enjoy your seasonal greens with smoked bacon, chestnuts and caramelized shallot and bacon butter.

Then there’s carrots and rutabaga, gooey honey-mustard parsnips – and a truly stunning cauliflower cheese that Dawson saved for his own Christmas table – the Cornish Cruncher Collection cauliflower gratin .

You can even prepare your roasted potatoes entirely in the oven; This year’s recipe uses M&S Roast Potato Seasoning and lots of garlic.

“I’m looking forward to trying our roast potato recipe this year as it’s quite a simple recipe and I love the idea of ​​garlic in roasts and M&S seasoning contains this polenta so important for that extra crispy exterior,” says Dawson.

Playing a strong condiment game means not only preparing Christmas dinner itself, but also livening up leftover sandwiches from the following days. Make sure you have plenty of bread in stock, of course, but also cranberry sauce and mayonnaise. Plus – top tip from Dawson – the best meat sauce in M&S.

“I like cold turkey with hot sauce,” he says. Who doesn’t? “I think this idea came from an episode of Friends in which Ross has a slice of bread soaked in sauce called ‘Moist Maker’ in his sandwich. M&S sauce is perfect for this.

From slow-cooked turkey with all the trimmings to creative ideas for leftover sandwiches, M&S has everything you need to make the festive season memorable, enjoyable and, above all, hassle-free.

This latest turkey range is in stores now. Fresh Irish turkeys arrive December 21st. The best slow-cooked turkey of all time is €95.

Marks and Spencer Roast Potatoes

For 8 people

• 2 kg Irish rooster potatoes
• 200g M&S goose fat
• 50g M&S Roast Potato Seasoning
• Salt
• Rosemary
• Garlic

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Add the goose fat, rosemary and garlic bulb to a roasting pan and preheat.
2. Peel the potatoes and place them in a saucepan of cold water.
3. Season the water liberally with salt. Simmer for five minutes until the outside of the potatoes becomes tender.
4. Remove and steam under a cloth for two minutes. Add seasoning, mixing until it sticks to the outside of the potatoes
5. Carefully transfer to the preheated tray. Bake for 50 minutes, turning regularly, until the potatoes are crisp and golden all over.